


i'll catch you

by Carmailo



Series: Voltron One Shots [15]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, brief broganes, soft klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 17:06:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14217753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmailo/pseuds/Carmailo
Summary: “You’d better catch me,” Keith warns.“I’ll catch you,” Lance insists.





	i'll catch you

Keith leans a little further out, bracing himself on the sill. A cool breeze cuts through the night air, making his hair tickle at his cheeks.

“What are you _doing_ here?” Keith hisses, but there’s so little bite it’s almost laughable. In fact, there’s so little bite that he actually sounds _fond_.

“I missed you,” Lance explains, holding out his arms. “Can’t a guy come see his boyfriend if he misses him?”

Keith glances behind him. Shiro’s definitely awake. He’s probably hacking away at an essay or something of the like, but Keith’s supposed to be asleep. Or, in bed. He’s supposed to be asleep, and while being awake gets him lovingly reprimanded, sneaking out is ten-thousand percent going to get Keith grounded. Or worse, Lance gets put on a temporary and completely-unofficial-by-every-law-except-Shiro’s-laws restraining order.

“Shut _up,_ ” Keith whispers fiercely, just loud enough for Lance to hear and hopefully not loud enough for Shiro to, “I don’t want Shiro to catch you and call your mom, or something.”

“Aw, c’mon,” Lance says, but Keith already knows he’s damned if he’s not sneaking out. He’s a teenager who spends a little too much time on Tumblr. His dreams are literally made of sneaking out with his spontaneous and occasionally mysterious boyfriend.

“I can’t,” Keith says, “how am I gonna get down? Shiro’ll catch me if I use the door.”

“I’ll catch you,” Lance says, “I swear.”

How many times has Keith slid onto this particular part of the roof, sitting and contemplating all the things he doesn’t understand? He’s definitely wondered if he’d break his leg jumping off, or if he’d be able to walk away with a barely noticeable limp and sneak out.

Keith’s room is positioned overlooking a weak excuse for a forest, just a bunch of lanky trees that shudder in the slightest of breezes standing at only about ten feet tall, the window placed above a ledge-like part of their roof that covers some of their long driveway. The view is amazing; in the summer, clear nights present the most gorgeous of skies. And each winter brings the quiet serenity of fresh snow over trees filled with the occasional chitter of a woodland animal.

And now, Keith thinks the view is just as nice as it’s always been, but today it feels a little bit more special; when he looks down, he sees one of the stupidest, most intelligent, incredibly talented but oh-so insecure boys standing in the center of his driveway, wearing a snapback and grinning as he tries to coax his boyfriend and his weakening resolve from his room.

“What about Shiro?” Keith asks uneasily. He’s a little afraid that Lance might realize that his plan, while wholly realistic, is a little risky and leave; Keith wants to sneak out, he does. He just doesn’t want to get caught.

“Stuff some pillows under your comforter. He’ll never know. Shiro barely ever checks up on you at night, anyways, right?” Lance’s grin is contagious, and Keith feels his lips tug.

“Of course,” he teases, “you would know.”

“Seriously, though,” Lance says, a laugh hidden in his words, “how did he _not_ know I spent the night? My car was literally in front of your driveway.”

Keith laughs but covers it with his hand quickly. He twists back toward his room door, listening. He reaches for his phone. At best, he can make a cheap cover-up for his laughter.

“Keith?” Shiro asks, voice muffled through the door.

The knob twists and Keith brings his phone up to his ear. “You okay, bud?” Shiro pokes his head into Keith’s room, glancing around before spotting Keith at the window.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow. ‘Night.” Keith says, taking his phone from his ear. The screen lights up, illuminating his features as he tries to inconspicuously press the lock button.

Smiling softly, Keith taps his screen once before locking his phone. “Yeah,” he nods, facing Shiro, “I’m okay… Are you?”

Keith puts down his phone and folds his hands behind his back, one hand flapping furiously at Lance to get out of sight.

“Yeah, yeah,” Shiro nods, pushing the door open fully and taking a step in. Light spills across the floor from his room, and Keith blinks as Shiro is silhouetted. “I heard… laughing? Crying? Just checking to make sure everything’s okay.”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Keith nods.

But he must nod too eagerly, or his hand flapping must be too obvious because Shiro takes the few steps it takes to get across the room and is looking out the window, pretending to be interested in the outside world. A moment later - a moment Keith spends silently _praying_ that Lance has pressed himself against the garage door or moved to the other side of the house - a set of sly eyes slide Keith’s way.

“So,” Shiro starts, turning around and leaning against the edge of the window seat that Keith has stationed himself on, “who was that?” Shiro aims for casual, he does, Keith can tell, but lands a little on over-concerned and stressed parent.

Keith groans. “Shiro,” he starts.

“Keith, don’t even _try_ that with me. I’m your legal guardian-”

“ _Keith, don’t even_ try _that with me, I’m your legal guardian_.” Keith mimics, voice pitched high as he tilts his head from side to side animatedly. “God, Shiro, don’t be such a dad.” he jokes.

“Do I really sound like a dad?” Shiro asks, sighing heavily.

Shiro’s had to grow up too fast, and Keith knows it; he was there to see the whole damn thing. As a result, he tries his best not to coddle Keith or act as their dead parental units. Shiro’s ridiculously insecure about it, and it breaks Keith’s heart to see. So he tries to joke about it, lighten the mood. And usually, Shiro takes the bait, sometimes going so far as to shout something along the lines of, _“I am your father and you will_ listen _to me!”_ as a joke when Keith is being his typical, immature self. Sometimes though, like now, Shiro will be so exhausted that his worrying gets to him. Keith is always quick to comfort, though. He’s learned over the years how to best calm his older brother down.

“Nah, you’re acting like a concerned legal guardian.” Keith bumps his shoulder against Shiro’s, and Shiro smiles a little, face going soft around the edges.

“You’ll tell me if I’m overstepping my bounds, though, right?” Shiro asks, and the question hangs in the air for a moment before Keith is bumping his shoulder against Shiro’s again.

“You’re my brother. There’s, like, no bounds.” Keith insists, “besides, you don’t totally suck, so that’s a plus.”

Shiro laughs at that, clapping Keith on the shoulder. He squeezes once, eyes crinkling around the corners with a tired smile. “Thanks, Keith.”

“No problem, old man.” Keith replies, but there’s a tint of fondness to his voice.

Shiro smiles, and seems to be about to leave, when he says, still smiling warmly, “it was Lance, then?”

“Uh,” Keith starts, blinking widely.

“He was here the other week, too, right? I saw his car in the morning, but he wasn’t in it.” Shiro frowns a little.

“He came to pick me up early,” Keith says, thinking on his feet to come up with excuses, “he wanted to go for breakfast but I wouldn’t get up, so we didn’t.”

“Keith,” Shiro starts, “I don’t even care if that’s the truth or not. You don’t need to make excuses. Just so long as you’re not living life without thinking about tomorrow. Tomorrow’s gonna be there no matter what, y’know? Well, unless it’s not. But you never know either way.”

“Is…” Keith furrows his brow. “Is this some fucked-up way of telling me not to give up my virginity until I’m ready to?” he asks.

Shiro chokes on his own saliva, “ _no._ Yes? I don’t know! I’m just telling you not to rush into anything! You’ve got time!”

“Okay, okay,” Keith says, waving his hands at Shiro so as to diminish the awkwardness of their conversation, “virginities _aside,_ I get what you mean.”

“Okay,” Shiro nods once, curt, “good. I…” he trails off, looking for something to say next.

“Goodnight, Shiro. Get some sleep. Your boring university homework will still be there when you wake up.”

Shiro sighs. “‘Night, Keith. You try to sleep, too, okay?”

Keith smiles, nods, “yeah.”

Shiro makes his way across the room and shuts the door behind himself, Keith’s room going dark once more. His heart feels a little full from their conversation, and he doesn’t know why.

Keith tries to shake the feeling off, making his bed and shoving a bunch of pillows under it in a vague Keith shape. Tugging off his pants, Keith reaches for his jeans and pulls them on, all while typing a text out to Lance.

 _give me a minute,_ he taps out, pressing _send_ before zipping the fly of his pants. Grabbing a jacket, Keith glances around the room. It seems to look convincing enough, so he shoves his window open a little wider and sets himself on the roof. Careful not to make too much noise, Keith slowly pushes the window closer to being shut, leaving a five or six-inch gap so that he can pry his window back open when he returns.

“Keith?” Lance breathes softly, a smile forming on Keith’s lips.

“You’d better catch me,” Keith warns, setting himself on the edge of the roof, careful of the gutter.

“I’ll catch you,” Lance insists, holding out his arms and bending his knees, bracing himself.

“Okay,” Keith says, steeling himself. “Okay,” he repeats. “One, two, three.”

And then he’s falling. A moment passes in which all Keith can hear is the wind whistling past his ears, and then he’s landing a with a soft _oof_ in Lance’s arms. Lance meets Keith with a soft grunt and thin, yet somehow strong, arms.

“Told you,” Lance says, straightening. He makes no move to put Keith down, and Keith finds he doesn’t mind all that much.

“How did you even do that?” Keith asks, an eyebrow raising in a teasing challenge.

“Magical boyfriend powers. The better boyfriend gets them,” Lance replies easily, turning and walking down the drive, Keith still nestled in his arms.

“Makes sense that you have them, then,” Keith says, and Lance sputters, going red.

“You can’t just _say_ that!” he squawks, though he tries to keep his volume down so Shiro doesn’t hear.

“Can and will,” Keith replies softly, smug, “now put me down.”

Lance laughs, letting Keith down. “Where are we going?” Keith asks.

“Come on,” Lance says, taking Keith’s hand, “I’ll lead the way.”

“What if Shiro finds out?” Keith asks absently, but he doesn’t protest as Lance pulls him along, something about the night air making him run instead of walk.

“He won’t.” Lance says. Plain and simple. And the way he says it makes Keith believe that Shiro really won’t find out.

The moon catches Lance’s features as they run, fingers tangled together and cheeks pink. Something about that - about the way that Lance’s bronze skin turns alabaster white in the light - it’s mesmerizing.

Shiro won’t find out. He won’t know about Keith running down his street at midnight with his boyfriend, gorgeous in the moonlight, tugging him by the hand, for years to come.

Lance keeps running down Keith’s road, in the middle of the street because there are no cars around, and something about the magic of being the only people out in the world gives him the confidence to. Keith feels giddy as he lets Lance lead the way, feels his heart butterfly as they turn down corners, feels himself grow breathless from more than just the hill they start jogging up.

And when Lance turns to look at Keith with that glint in his eyes, “race you,” Keith’s legs feel like jelly in the nicest of ways.

Keith wins, of course he does, but it’s close - he’s a runner and Lance is a swimmer; both sports relying heavily on the usage of legs.

They reach the top of the hill, tripping over their own feet as they laugh loudly, breathless with bright eyes. Lance rams into Keith from the side, nearly taking them both down to the ground. Keith is used these attacks though, and he manages to stumble a few steps before he steadies his stance, wrapping his arms around Lance’s middle as his come around Keith’s neck.

“Where are we even going?” Keith asks.

“You’ll see when we get there,” Lance says. “Don’t be so impatient. I promise it’s good.”

“Anywhere’s good with you,” Keith says.

Lance smiles, “that’s what I meant. It’ll be good ‘cause you’re there.”

Keith laughs, “get your own sappy comments.”

Lance laughs, too, slinging an arm around Keith’s shoulders. Keith puts an arm around Lance’s waist, and the two of them continue, hips bumping every so often and laughter breaking out with nothing to laugh about at all.

The place Lance takes Keith to is a cliff ledge, grassy and covered in tiny purple flowers with yellow centres. They’re pretty and grow in big clumps on the hill. Besides that, though, the view is breathtaking. The bigger part of the city can be seen, bright lights decorating the horizon miles off. Above them, the sky is clear, showing off each and every star in all of its glory.

“So?” Lance whispers, tangling his fingers with Keith’s.

Keith tears his gaze away from the sky, staring at Lance, enamoured. “It’s gorgeous,” he breathes.

“Not as gorgeous as you,” Lance retorts quietly, a smile grazing his lips.

Keith smiles, a laugh bubbling up his throat.

Lance grins, tugging Keith gently by the hand. He sits down on the grass and pats the space next to him, smiling up at Keith. Keith sits and scoots as close as he can to Lance, letting himself be buried in the slightly-taller boy’s embrace.

“How are you even real?” Keith breathes.

Lance looks at Keith, stares at the way the stars reflect in his eyes and how moonlight skips across his pale features. He looks ethereal.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Lance replies, reaching up with his free hand to tuck some of Keith’s hair behind his ear.

Keith smiles, soft around the edges. “Thanks, Lance.”

“For what?” Lance murmurs, “I haven’t done anything.”

“For bringing me here. For existing. For caring about me.”

Lance cups Keith’s cheek. “Thank _you_ for giving me the time of day. You’re… honestly one of the most important people in my life. You make me happy.” Lance pauses thoughtfully, tracing a circle on Keith’s cheek. “You’re the reason I get out of bed in the mornings.”

Keith works his jaw, fighting the sudden lump in his throat. “You make me happy, too,” he says, voice cracking. He’s suddenly overwhelmed with how much he cares about Lance. How much he can’t stand the thought of losing him.

Keith blinks hard at the sudden tears in his eyes.

“Please don’t cry,” Lance says, though he’s clearly on the verge of happy tears himself, “this is a happy thing. Smile, instead, okay?”

Keith nods, squeezing his eyes shut. “Okay,” he agrees.

Lance presses a kiss to the space right above Keith’s brow, and the two settle against one another again, falling silent.

Keith breathes shakily, and Lance squeezes him gently.

“Thanks for catching me,” Keith murmurs, weakly attempting a joke to try and laugh away his tears.

“I’ll catch always you,” Lance says, smiling as he continues to watch the skyline, “no matter what.”

**Author's Note:**

> as always, great thanks for reading <3
> 
> p.s.  
> the flowers are tiny little purple morning glory
> 
> edit (04/08/2019):  
> it's been just over a year since i posted this and i just want to point out that someone being the reason you get out of bed in the mornings is really cute and all but it is important not to build unhealthy dependencies on the ones you love so that in their absence (temporary or not) you are not left completely defenceless and devastated. you've gotta find a reason within yourself, even if it's hard to. there's nothing wrong with someone helping you get there. there's nothing wrong with only being able to get on with the day if you get to see that person once in a while. but remember that you are strong in yourself and that even though it's alluring and probably fun, you don't need a bf/gf/so to make you happy. you can be happy if youre single or not, just like you can be sad if youre single or not. be strong friendos. you're going to be so incredibly okay someday <3


End file.
